Toward sustainable desalination: a patent analysis of technology-development trajectories

Research and development (R&D) in desalination has enabled innovations and expanded global water-supply capacity to enhance water security. Despite increased desalination capacity, significant sustainability concerns persist. While sustainable desalination efforts have primarily focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, less attention has been paid to other environmental impacts. Moreover, questions remain about which sustainable technologies have been developed and which stakeholders’ R&D priorities. To address these gaps, we analyze patent data to trace desalination technology-development paths while examining environmental impacts and the roles of government and industry. Using bibliographical analysis, text mining, and technology life-cycle analysis, we map the evolution of the global desalination sector over the past 20 years. Our analysis reveals geographical patterns in patenting activities, including developments in core technologies such as Multiple Effect Distillation (MED), Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSF), and Reverse Osmosis (RO). We identify a significant misalignment between R&D pathways and broader sustainability concerns, with implications for the long-term sustainability of desalination and regional water-security policies.